


The Great Presidential Election of Sekang High

by zeloflake



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, M/M, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-03-27 23:21:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13891281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeloflake/pseuds/zeloflake
Summary: Every year, a selection of the most brilliant students Sekang High has to offer compete for the prestigious position of student council president. This year is no different, with contestants Baekhyun, the most popular student, Jongdae, the school delinquent, and Minseok, who no one’s really heard of before. Only one of them is going to win, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be a lot of trouble in the way.





	The Great Presidential Election of Sekang High

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I'm the lucky writer of prompt CBX024, which was so much fun to do. Writing about EXO in high school is something I love, because I can just pour my entire otaku heart over the fic with no regrets at all. My school didn't really have a student council or anything of the sort, so my entire knowledge of the subject is based on movies and internet research. Excuse me if I've gotten anything wrong!
> 
> I really want to thank my beta, @curlsyixing, for making this fic so much better!! It wouldn't be the same without you, and tysm for your patience with me as well. I also want to thank the cbx mods for creating this amazing fest and taking such good care of us all along! You rock ♡
> 
> Well, I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love to read any comments you guys may have! Also, just so nobody is confused: Junmyeon, Luhan, Minseok, Kris and Yixing are seniors; Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Zitao and Jongdae are juniors; Sehun and Kai are sophomores.

_ 4 weeks before the election _

It was another ordinary day in Sekang High School. Many students were chatting enthusiastically in the cafeteria, while some people had dozed off on top of desks in the empty classrooms, and others had their noses stuck in a book on the library. On the third floor of the building, a forgotten left wing led to a small hallway, from which loud voices could be heard coming out of classroom 3 – 12E. This was the headquarters of the Manga and Anime Club - meetings held every day after class, must bring a snack - commanded by no one other than Kim Jongdae. Coincidentally, his was also the highest voice in the room, booming to high decibels in order to gather the attention of all other members of the club to the pressing matter at hand.

“Guys, are you listening to me?” Jongdae screeched, voice becoming increasingly louder, “I will keep talking until everyone is paying attention, and you know I can keep talking for a very long time. A VERY LONG TIME INDEED- WH-“

“God, Jongdae, shut up!” Chanyeol said with a goofy smile, happy to see that the marshmallow he had thrown landed right into Jongdae’s mouth. He would never understand how he’d failed to make  the basketball team. Though he guessed it probably had something to do with the fact that he tended to knock over players from his team and the rival alike, in his eagerness to score. “We’re listening. It better be really important, if you dare to interrupt Yixing’s sacred ‘Wednesday is for reading the new chapter of One Piece’ ritual.”

“It’s okay, I finished the chapter while he was screaming. Nothing we’re not used to.” Yixing spoke up, leaning back on the chair and snacking on a strawberry Pocky, “Though it did take out a bit of the emotion from Luffy’s attitude. He would never interrupt his nakama like that.”

“Unless it gave him a big chunk of meat, or made him the king of pirates.” Kris started to wonder, grabbing a Pocky for himself, “Then he might.”

Most of their afternoons were spent like this. The four boys in their  small classroom, eating junk food and creating elaborate theories and alternate endings for their favorite mangas. Every exam season, they’d need to suspend club activities in order to cram, but it wasn’t much of a problem. Jongdae still took pride in his freshman year self who, not wanting to engage in any kind of physical or social activity that wasn’t strictly necessary, decided to create a club for otakus. It still amazed him that the school let such a silly club pass inspection, but he guessed it was better than smoking and lazing around on the rooftop. Also, they drew pretty decent fliers for the school festival.

Jongdae imagined that anyone who would actively choose to enter the Manga and Anime Club couldn’t be a bad person after all, and soon the four of them became friends. Chanyeol after being rejected from the basketball club, plus Kris and Yixing, who read comics even during class time. They clicked surprisingly well, having in common not only their taste for Japanese comics but also a sense of humor that relied heavily on pranking others. They were not bullies or anything of the kind, but some of their pranks were known through the province – such as the legendary grape Fanta pool event of 2015.

“Whatever, who cares about Luffy?” Jongdae snapped, earning himself three shocked gasps, “Okay, I didn’t mean it. Everyone cares about Luffy. He’s amazing and totally going to be the Pirate King. But we have more important things to discuss, people! This is the optimal chance for some high quality pranking.”

“What is?” Chanyeol inquired, his mouth stuffed with potato chips, “We tend to ignore you when you start to yell, you know.”

“I do, and I don’t appreciate it. Anyway, as you might know, school elections are coming up.”

“Are they?” Kris asked in a failed attempt to appear interested.

“Amazing.” Yixing, on the other hand, didn’t even try. The boy had layers of sarcasm built in such an intricate manner to  his speech that the others couldn’t tell if he was joking half of the time.

“Yes, they are. Don’t you see how perfect it is? We can do some serious messing around here. You know how everyone is at this school – they care about grades and their appearance. And nothing embodies both things as well as the election does. How much do  you wanna bet that the popular kids are going to run?” Jongdae asked before switching into a high pitched, annoying voice to mimic one of them. “‘It looks good on your university application.’”

“That’s fair, but I don’t see how the election has anything to do with us.” Kris replied, “What can we do? Sabotage the votes and make Donald Duck the new student body president?”

“That’s such a great idea!” Chanyeol laughed, clapping his hands and stomping his feet. The boy didn’t know how to react to anything if not with his whole body. “Let’s make Ryan the vice president!!”

“That’s funny.” Yixing chuckled, “I like it.”

“No!!” Jongdae objected, getting up enthusiastically, “You see, that does sound very funny, but it’s like first level pranking. We need to up our game if we want to be remembered. I want to make history in this school, and this is our chance.”

“Well, Mr. This is Our Chance, what do you propose, then?” Yixing asked skeptically, munching on a Pocky stick.

“I think one of us should run for president of the student council.”

“What? Are you insane?” Kris had an expression of intense disbelief in his face, “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard . What if they think we’re serious? Worse – what if we actually win??”

“But that’s the best way to mess things up. You get on the inside, and you start to twist things from there. The opportunities to create chaos will be so much greater if we do it as candidates, rather than common students.”

“Jongdae’s right.” Yixing affirmed, staring off into the distance.

“Thank you for being the voice of reason, as usual, Yixing.”

“What?” Chanyeol shrieked in protest, “This is so stupid. No fucking way.”

“Hear me out.” Yixing continued, “Jongdae is right, and because of that, he should be the one to become a candidate. Captain of the club, taking one for the team and all that crap. Besides, it was his idea.”

“What?” Jongdae’s face acquired a slightly panicked expression, just like when you realize you fucked up  in chemistry class and something is about to explode, “No, no, this isn’t what I meant-“

“Well, I guess it’s decided, then!” Kris got up from his seat, gathering his things to leave and grabbing the last lollipop on the desk, “We’ll get the papers and tomorrow you hand them in, Jongdae. Like you said – we’ll make history in this school. Now I’ve got to ditch you losers, because I’ve got a date. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, it has been fun, guys, but I’ve got to go to the mall and see if I can get the last volume of GFantasy.” Yixing also grabbed his coat and a package of Pocky, getting ready to go, “And maybe a pack of cigarettes. See ya.”

Jongdae and Chanyeol were left in the club classroom, the only audible sound being Chanyeol munching on toffees. It was kind of disgusting, but they were long used to it.

“So,” Chanyeol started nonchalantly, “when are you going to tell them you can’t do it?”

“What do you mean?” Jongdae was mildly offended at the tall boy’s remark, “I can’t do it?”

“Please. I know you, Jongdae.” His gaze held an unspoken challenge, insolent and defiant, “And I know very well your limitations. There’s no way you’re going to run for student council president. It’s just not gonna happen.”

“That’s not true. I could run for president if I wanted to.”

“Cut the bullshit, man.”

“Park Chanyeol, I’m going to make you swallow everything you said and down it with a shot of vodka,  Kool-Aid and bad decisions.” Jongdae pointed very emphatically to the table, trying to look cool like the mafia men from The Godfather, “Then, you’ll have to run all the way to the movie theater and back wearing only your underwear. Not only am I running for president, I’m also going to win that shit. And then resign because, honestly, it’s way too much work and I can’t be bothered.”

“Well, if you win the election, I will drown all the  Kool-Aid and vodka you want.” Chanyeol couldn’t believe Jongdae had been that easy to manipulate. But then again, he never backed down from a challenge. The boy was as stubborn as a mule. “But if you lose, you’ll have to give me your entire collection of Black Butler. Special editions included.”

“You have yourself a deal.  Now go, I can’t stand looking at your ugly face any longer and there’s a really short boyfriend of yours waiting for you at the door.”

Chanyeol turned just in time to see a sulking Kyungsoo answer Jongdae, “You know very well we are the same height. Those insoles you wear don’t fool anyone, dickhead.”

“That’s my cue.” Chanyeol smiled, all pretty teeth and wicked intentions, “See you and your beautiful manga collection soon.”

 

Meanwhile, on the way back from school, four boys were sitting on the grass near a river, goofing off together since  none of them felt like going home just yet. Zitao was sleeping on a patch of daisies, face covered by a cap. Sehun and Jongin were playing Dibidibidip while Baekhyun watched. So far, Sehun had been losing majestically – no one had ever been able to explain Jongin’s unrelenting luck when it came to any kind of game, they just knew better than to bet cleaning up after meals on the results of rock paper scissors.

Baekhyun looked at the bikes forgotten on the side of the riverbank while trying to collect his thoughts. He had been wondering how to introduce the matter to his friends for over a week now. It wasn’t even that much of a deal, but Baekhyun had a strong tendency to overthink things, simple and complicated alike. It wasn’t really the best way to deal with life, but it was the only one he knew how.

“Guys,” he started, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

“Sure, what is it?” Sehun answered first, eager for an excuse to stop losing the game so pathetically.  Jongin promptly sat by his side, a hand on his thigh and eyes focused on Baekhyun. They were a year younger, sure, but the two of them still worried about their friend. Baekhyun had always been under a lot of pressure, in all aspects of his life. And as much as he guided them when they started to study at the same high school, they wanted to help him back now.

“Well, you know student council elections are coming up, right?” Baekhyun looked at the ground as he spoke, fiddling with his fingers in a nervous manner. “I think I’ll participate. You see, I knew I would have to, my parents already talked to me about it. I thought I’d be treasurer or a position with less pressure, but the Mr. Kim came to talk with me as well, and he said I have a lot of potential and it’d be a waste not to run for president… So I guess that’s what I’ll do now.”

“But…” Jongin asked, a little afraid of the answer, “is that what you want to do, Baek?”

“Yeah,” Sehun intervened, “you don’t have to do anything if the only reason is because you feel like you should. We’ve talked about this.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, you know.” It was hard to put into words. It had to do with the constant feeling on the back of his head, saying he wasn’t good enough. “I don’t think it’d be necessarily bad. It’s just that… I’m a little afraid. It’s a lot of responsibility. What if I actually win? I’ll be the representative of the entire student body. If I fuck up, that’s a lot of people to disappoint.”

“Well, you’re considering the worst possible alternative. It’s not like that’s going to happen.” Jongin tried to argue some sense into Baekhyun’s train of thought, which had a tendency for the self-depreciative, “The most likely thing is that you run, you win, and you have a pretty decent year in command. Or you run, and you don’t win at all. Though I don’t think there’s anyone who can be any real competition to you in this school.”

“Well, there’s me, Jongin and Sehun, but as your friends we’re obviously going to support you.” Zitao seemed to have woken up in the middle of the conversation, and had been listening quietly so far. “No one else stands a chance; after all, you do hang out with the most handsome, intelligent and responsible men of the school.”

They didn’t consider themselves the ‘popular kids’, but it was undeniable that they were. Baekhyun’s bubbly and outgoing personality, Sehun’s good looks, Jongin’s kindness and Zitao’s understanding of the school’s social hierarchy made them an unbeatable combo. They obviously weren’t reduced to those characteristics, but they certainly helped maintain their status quo. Everyone knew who they were, from freshmen to teachers. When Sehun went blonde in freshman year, the school had to forbid any hair color that wasn’t black, because the following week more than half of the students appeared with a bright mop of hair. Zitao had single-handedly established the single earring as a trend for a good 6 months, and now he seemed to have moved on to chokers.

It would be a lie to say that they were unaware of it, or that they were not kind of proud of their influence. But it was not on a level that reached cockiness, and it was usually not on purpose. Being popular had its perks, though – teachers usually liked you, people volunteered to take your shifts on class cleaning and offered you their notes when you were absent. They had grown used to living like this, and it was their normal.

“The most humble boys is what you mean, I believe.” Baekhyun laughed out loud, the feeling of relief washing over his chest. Maybe it was going to be alright, after all. “Stop calling yourself a man when you’re younger than me, you punk. What do you even know about life?”

“I know it is not ready for Byun Baekhyun, president of the student council.” Zitao chuckled, trying to get away from the headlock Baekhyun intended to put him in, “You better throw us a party after you win. With lots of food. No being cheap with two cokes and half a chicken! I want sashimi!”

“You know, you look much cuter when you’re sleeping and your mouth is shut. You’re such a brat, Zitao.” He said it in an affectionate manner, making a mess of the younger boy’s hair before getting up, “Let’s go home.”

So they did, Sehun and Jongin holding hands and Zitao walking with his bike by their side, as they watched Baekhyun attempt to ride a bike without his hands. The crash that ensued brought laughter to their faces, in the comfort of what was familiar. It was a common afternoon for them, lazy smiles and the sun setting in the horizon – the feeling of being young and not needing to worry about anything for a while washed over the four boys.

 

On the other side of town, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo arrived at the coffee shop owned by Junmyeon’s parents. Kyungsoo and his friends meet there frequently after classes – it’s a great place for hanging out, procrastinate doing homework and drinking free coffee. A couple months ago, after he and Chanyeol started dating, the lanky boy also became a regular of the establishment.

Chanyeol liked Kyungsoo’s friends – they reminded him of his own crew, only a little more study oriented and less rule-breaking. Add a few manga magazines and bad ideas and they’d get along great. As they sat in their usual table at the very end of the shop– so they wouldn’t disturb actual customers  and they had  a little more privacy, Luhan greeted them with a little nod, absorbed in his geometry homework.

“Hey, guys. What’s up?” Minseok seemed to have finished his own homework and looked a little bored, “How many straws do you think I can stick in my nose and still manage to breathe?”

“It depends on the width of your nostrils, but it’s usually 10.” At the silence of the table, Chanyeol realized no one expected an actual answer. “What? You’re not the first to wonder that, okay? At least I have certified, tested data.”

As everyone burst into laughter, Minseok got up, shaking his empty cup.

“Gonna get a refill. If you can convince Luhan to let me help out instead of him staring at a blank page for half an hour, let me know.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo looked at each other, tension palpable in the air. Junmyeon stared at his iced coffee as if something very fascinating would come out of the ice cubes, and Luhan kept sulking in his seat, eyes stuck to the paper. It wasn’t a new scene, Minseok and Luhan bickering for hours on end, but these days the both of them seemed to be a little more on edge. On the edge of what, Kyungsoo would never really know. Maybe it had to do with it being senior year, and the responsibilities tugging at their ankles. But it also felt like something else.

“You should let him help you out, you know.”

“I don’t want Minseok to think I’m dumb.” Luhan kept doing that hand trick of spinning your pen, something he only ever did in tests or when he was nervous.

“Luhan, do you hear yourself?” Kyungsoo had an incredulous expression in his face, as if he didn’t believe he heard the other  right, “You know Minseok is not the type to judge people, you’ve been friends for ages. He’d never think that, and even if he did, he wouldn’t care.”

“Well, I care.”

“Would you rather fail geometry than have your best friend help you out? I don’t understand your line of reasoning, Luhan. It just makes no sense to me.”

“I didn’t think you would, Kyungsoo.” Luhan took a quick glance at Chanyeol; something so fast, the other starts to  think he’d imagined it. “It’s fine. Don’t worry. I got this. I won’t fail any classes, and I’ll make up with Minseok soon. We always do, anyway.”

Half a heartbeat later, Minseok arrived at the table, bringing a tray of snacks and an extra cup of coffee.

“Junmyeon, your mom told me to grab those snacks. And Luhan, I got you a white chocolate frap.” He placed the beverage in front of the boy, who – was that his ears turning red? – thanked him in the smallest of voices, “To see if this cools down your head. If you study all day, there’s no way you can keep your  productivity up anyway. Give yourself a rest,  you deserve it.”

“I have something fun to tell you guys.” Chanyeol broke the silence as he grabbed a cookie from the tray, “You won’t believe who’s running for student council president.”

“Oh, that has started already?” Kyungsoo said, getting a cookie himself, “I had no idea.”

“Submissions end next week, and then there’s three weeks for the campaign. Anyway, it’s no one other than Kim Jongdae.”

Kyungsoo choked in his cookie, while Minseok laughed out loud.

“What? The token delinquent of our school is going to run for president?” Junmyeon asked in disbelief, wondering if it wasn’t another one of Chanyeol’s little pranks, “I kind of have to believe it because it’s his best friend talking, but how the hell did that happen?”

“He thinks it’s going to be a great opportunity to create turmoil in the school. Basically, chaos will be greater if he’s at the center of it. Also, I kind of convinced him with a bet.”

“Wait, so he doesn’t have the intention of doing anything of actual worth to the school?” Minseok remarked, the indignation clear in his voice, “There’s a lot to be done, you know. We don’t have proper accessibility structure, the gymnasium is falling apart, and the cafeteria menu is inedible half of the time. It wouldn’t hurt to have a student council president that actually changed something, this time.”

“It’s not like he’s going to win, though?” Chanyeol munched absently on  his cookie, “He doesn’t stand a chance against the responsible, popular kids.”

“Jongdae’s popular.” Junmyeon argued, “Even if his fame comes from negative actions, people know who he is. They could vote for him, if his campaign is any good.”

“That would be just terrific. Our senior year, and another shit president it is.”

“Why don’t you run for it, then, Minseok?” Luhan asked, earning himself a deathly glare from the older one, “I’m not messing with you, I’m serious.”

“Are you insane? There’s no way I can do it. No one would vote for me.”

“But Minseok, think about it. Like, really think about it.” Kyungsoo intervened, while Luhan mumbled a small Iwouldvoteforyou, “You’re responsible. You’re very smart, almost an honor student. And the most important thing, you would be running because you want to make the school a better place for everyone. I think this idea is far from insane, and that you should seriously consider it. You could be exactly what our school needs.”

Kyungsoo was the rock of the group – the voice of reason when everyone seemed to wander too far away from reality. He was pragmatic, that was undeniable, but he was also soft at heart.

“If we seriously talk about it, I may even want to, but- No one knows who I am-“

“That’s what the campaign is for,” Junmyeon pointed his straw at Minseok, using it to emphasize the validity of his argument, “so people learn who you are, and why you are the best option. And of course we’d help you.”

Minseok’s face went from a vexed expression, to exasperated, to thoughtful.

“I’ll seriously think about it. But I can’t just make a serious decision on the spot like this. I need to think how this would affect my grades – after all, it’s senior year – and if I really have what it takes to run. Like… emotionally.”

“Either way, we’ll support you decision, man.” Chanyeol patted Minseok’s shoulder affectionately, “But I have to say that I’m really looking forward to telling Jongdae he’s already got competition. You’d kick his ass.”

“Yeah. You’d kick every ass on that school.” Luhan slung his arm around Minseok’s shoulder, a familiar gesture that conveniently reminded whoever was watching how little Minseok was, “I’ll brag to everyone about how I get to use the student council room as my personal makeshift camp when I run from home. Just imagine. Exclusive keys, man.”

“We’re already fantasizing about power abuse and Minseok didn’t even decide if he wants to run.” Kyungsoo chuckled, grabbing the last cookie and giving it to Minseok, “Whatever you decide, we’ll be here for you. And, just like that book you love… May the odds be ever in your favor.”

 

_ 3 weeks before the election _

“We have finally discovered who the final candidates for the election are going to be.” Jongdae’s voice once again resounded in classroom 3-12E, with a total audience of 3 scrawny teenager boys, “Besides the wonderful, handsome and intelligent Kim Jongdae, we also have preppy popular boy Byun Baekhyun and Minseok, who’s pretty cool but no one knows him, if we’re going to be brutally honest here. So I’m thinking that, if I can get people to vote for me instead of Baekhyun, it’ll be a certain win.”

It had been a little over a week since they had decided on their next prank to the school, and Jongdae had made that unfortunate bet with Park Chanyeol. He had later regretted it bitterly, but he just couldn’t back up from a challenge like that. The one thing Jongdae hated the most was to feel like he wasn’t good enough – no matter the reason, or the context. He didn’t feel like he should prove himself to anyone, which had developed into his current rebellious personality, but he needed to be sure that, if he wanted to, he was able to do anything.

Which was why he was now trying really hard not to lose the beloved collection of his 3rd favorite manga.

 “And how exactly do you propose we do that, Sherlock?” Kris asked with incredulity, “Literally anyone that has to choose between you and Baekhyun knows what the better option is. And let me give you a heads-up: it’s not you.”

It wasn’t that Jongdae hated Baekhyun. But he didn’t really like the boy all that much, either. Baekhyun represented everything his family wanted him to be, only Jongdae refused to meet their expectations. If Jongdae was going to be honest, he was a little bit intimidated – after all, everyone at the school knew Byun Baekhyun, and he would be a tough opponent to beat. The boy was all pretty smiles, easy laughs, and good grades – the model student any school would want to pose for a banner. That didn’t mean it would be impossible though. Every plan has its cracks, and every person has its flaws, if you  look close enough.

“That is a great question, my friend with elevated eyebrow power, and I’m glad you asked it.” Kris sulked at that, giving his eyebrows an unbelievable 45 degree angle, “I’ve brainstormed a lot this week, and I’ve come up with the perfect solution: unrealistic expectations.”

“Wow.” Yixing laughed, “I can’t believe you lifted a single finger to do something that isn’t reading manga or studying for an exam that’s in 6 hours. Jongdae, oh how you’ve changed. Kids grow so fast these days.”

“Hey,” Jongdae punched the older boy, who was pretending to cry emotionally on top of his desk, “one of these days you’ll hurt me for real, and then you’ll have to buy me something really expensive to make up for it. Just you wait, Yixing.”

“Next year me and duizhang will be out of here, so I won’t have a lot of opportunities. You should be grateful I still bother to annoy you at least once a day. You should cherish these moments while they last.”

It was true. It was Kris and Yixing’s senior year, and that was one of the reasons why Jongdae wanted to make it memorable. They had been together as a club for three years now, and it would soon inevitably come to an end. Everything would  be different next year and - even if they managed to stay friends, they wouldn’t see each other nearly as often. Jongdae was determined not to throw away their last opportunity to do some serious messing around at the school, so that Yixing and Kris could leave with no regrets. It was his way of showing he cared, and that their little group had a special place in his heart.

“How come Kris is called duizhang if I’m captain of the club again?”

“Because I’m the oldest, Jongdae, and these  eyes have seen things you little kids can only imagine.” Kris smirked, trying to sound cool but choking on his water on the process.

“Ouch!” They heard a yelp coming from the corner, where a very lanky figure seemed to be trying to contain his tears, “I didn’t know it was possible to burn your tongue eating cup noodles. I think I should’ve microwaved them a little less. It really hurts…”

“EVERYONE SHUT UP.” Jongdae loved his friends to death, but he had to admit that they were anything but focused. There was a reason they all gathered in the otaku club, after all, earning only gazes of disapproval from teachers and other, more responsible students. “Chanyeol, you get your noodles and sit down. Chinese duo, shut up and listen. We need concentration here, people. The four of us are going to make me win a presidential election.”

“Here’s the deal.” Jongdae placed his hands on the table, as people who had important things to say usually did in animes, “Everyone knows education is important, and that’s why we’re at school. But no one really cares about that. What people really care about is the fun stuff – so that’s what we’re going to promise them. Create another school festival, make dance competitions after class official, putting cake everyday on the school menu, iced coffee machines in  the hallways. Things that are not so far-fetched that people won’t believe us, but luxurious enough that they will want to vote for me to make it happen.”

“You know, Jongdae, that is actually smart.” Kris was surprised with the strategy, which could genuinely make his friend win, “Hell, if I didn’t know you, I might give you my vote if it meant unlimited access to iced coffee in between classes. That’s the real shit.”

“Duizhang is right.” Yixing nodded decisively, his curls bouncing on  his forehead, “I think this might be the only way for you to have a real chance.”

“A manga collection in danger really does miracles around here.” Chanyeol mentioned, his mouth full of no longer burning hot noodles, “I’m impressed.”

“I’m glad we all agree, my friends.” Jongdae clapped his hands, happy to finally be able to get his point across, “Now let’s get those pretty hands moving, because my campaign posters are not going to draw themselves.”

 

Later that same day, while the sun was setting in the sky and people were starting to wonder what they would have for dinner, Minseok found himself sitting on the bleachers of the soccer field with his friends, where their school’s team – Luhan, the captain, included – were playing against a school from the other side of town. To win this match was a matter of honor because, even though the opponent school was richer and overall superior, the boys knew that their team was better. And they were determined not to let fancy uniforms or new sneakers intimidate them.

Minseok slurped in his iced tea - coke gave him a bad stomach-ache - feeling quite content with the score. They were winning 2-0, and the first half of the match wasn’t even over yet. . He had been on the team himself for the first two years of high school, before getting  in a pretty bad accident during a game in his junior year, which he was still recovering from. Luckily, he would be able to play soccer in college, at least for fun; meanwhile, he made sure to attend all school matches to support his former teammates and bask in the waves of nostalgia.

“Hey, is this seat taken?” A melodic voice came from his side and, as he turned, Minseok faced the last person he expected to see – Baekhyun: school prince, overachiever extraordinaire. They had never spoken more than three words to each other (probably ‘good morning’ and ‘hello’), and Minseok didn’t have any intention to change their status quo.

“No, you can sit.” He watched as the younger boy placed himself in the seat beside him, a large coke and a bucket of popcorn in his hands. It was extremely unusual for him to be alone, not accompanied by his faithful crew of very handsome friends or the loyal followers who wished so badly to belong to their group. Either way, Minseok was intrigued.

“Want some popcorn?” Baekhyun offered and, after Minseok politely declined, he continued the conversation (Minseok had always wondered how people were able to do that), “You’re Minseok, right? I don’t think we’ve ever really spoken before. I’m Baekhyun.”

“How did you know my name?”

“Well, it might have come to my attention that we, as well as Kim Jongdae, are competing for the position of student body president,” Baekhyun slurped in his coke, trying to ease the hostility in the air, “and I might have found out that you attend every school game religiously, and I might have conveniently cleaned my schedule so there would be no impediments to my being here today.”

“Wow… Who would have thought?” Minseok was mildly freaked out, wondering if he should grab the peeper spray in his bag or pretend to have  his shit together, “The most popular student at our school is a major stalker.”

“That’s not how it is!” Baekhyun whined, his mouth turning into a pout, “You’re making it sound creepy!”

“Then how is it? Please enlighten me.”

“I wanted to get to know you better.” Baekhyun explained in a smug voice, “I think it’s only fair if we are going to be running for the same position. I’d call it good sportsmanship. I’m sure you’re very familiar with that, being on the soccer team and all.”

“Okay, dude, we can talk if you want, but you have to stop freaking me out with all this convenient knowledge you seem to have of my life.”

Truth be told, Minseok couldn’t really pin down Baekhyun and his friends. The thing was – as much as they were nice, that was a distance that one could never really break through. It was  as if they lived in one world, and Minseok in another one that was completely different. It was an unspoken agreement, that they could be colleagues but never anything else. It didn’t really matter to Minseok at all – he had his friends and they were just fine. But for Baekhyun to completely throw off  his beliefs like that made him feel lost, like he couldn’t grasp reality properly anymore.

“I’m sorry. Look- let’s start over. Hello, I’m Baekhyun. Nice to meet you.” There it was again. That friendly, diplomatic smile, which could mean so much and nothing at all at the same time.

“Nice to meet you, Baekhyun. I’m Minseok.” They shook hands, a strained, stiff kind of feel to their actions, “Do you want to talk about the election? I heard you were running as well.”

“I am. I’m running because everyone expects me to, but also because I feel like I’d be good at it. What about you?”

“I’m running because I want to try and make a difference. You know, at least on my last year here. I don’t want to be the kind of person who only takes from everything. I’ve studied here for three years, and now I want to give back.” Minseok answered honestly, finally accepting some popcorn for himself, “There’s a shitload of stuff that needs improving in this school, and I guess I thought that maybe I could fix some of them.”

“That’s… very honest of you. And also very honorable.” Baekhyun munched in his popcorn, not having expected such a real answer. Well, if Minseok was going to be honest with him, the least he could do was act the same. “You know, I didn’t really think about those things. Maybe I should have. I knew that my parents would want me to run, my teachers would tell me to run, and I imagined that I know enough people to be a good enough president. That was probably something really foolish to imagine, now that I think about it.”

“Well, at least you’re not on the run because of a bet.”

Baekhyun laughed, incredulous. It was hard enough to imagine other people as complexly as himself, which he tried hard to do every day. But to think that anyone would do such a dumb thing was beyond his mind frame.

“You’re kidding, right? What did Jongdae even bet on?”

“No idea, my informant didn’t want to disclose the information.” Minseok giggled. Talking with Baekhyun was easier than he would’ve imagined.

“You’ve got a pretty good information network, for someone who seems so shy.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“What’s the deal with Jongdae, anyway?” Baekhyun asked, frustration clear in his voice, “I can’t quite grasp him, you know.”

“That’s because he’s a little bit of an asshole. It’s more protection device than anything, really.”

At this point, Kyungsoo, Junmyeon and Chanyeol, who had been sitting on the other side of Minseok, seemed to notice the extra body and spoke up.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo gave a polite grin, “I’m Kyungsoo. We have P.E. together.”

“I remember you! I’m Baekhyun, and I’m sorry that you had to see me wheezing desperately for air in more than one occasion. I suck big time in any kind of physical activity.”

“It’s fine dude, pretty much everyone who’s not in a sports team hates it. Chanyeol here is an exception, though. Also, this is Junmyeon.” The boys waved politely, curious about the most popular boy in the entire school sitting down to talk to their friend. They didn’t want to look overbearing, though, so they kept a respectful distance.

“You know, I’m fine with sports, as long as I don’t have to play them. I like coming to games, like today. And sports anime. Boy, those are the best.”

Baekhyun watched in amazement as the eyes of the four boys in front of him started to sparkle like stars on a farm in the middle of nowhere.

Their team won, 3-0. Minseok invited Baekhyun to the afterparty.

 

The next day, Baekhyun still had one candidate to talk to. He was aware that he was on the same class as Kim Jongdae, but that fact had never really been of any use up until now. He scribbled _hey, it’s Baekhyun. I want to talk_ in a page torn from his notebook and politely asked for the note to be passed to the very end of the class, where Jongdae’s seat was. The response didn’t come in such a cordial manner, but in the form of a crumpled piece of paper full of spit in the back of his head.

_meet me in the roof at 11_

 

When he got there, Jongdae was already in the middle of a cigarette, hunched over a magazine with an overwhelming number of pages.

“How the hell did you even manage to finish a cigarette already?” Baekhyun asked, mildly disgusted, “Our class ends at 11.”

“I ditched chemistry.” Jongdae didn’t even bother to look up, “There were more important matters to tend to. Like this week’s chapter of _Haikyuu!!_ ”

They stared at each other for a moment, measuring the opponent. Though both of them wanted to be taller, neither could say for sure that they were.

“So you’re the kid running as a joke, huh.”

“And you’re the kid running because it’ll look pretty in your college application.”

“I guess everyone has their reasons.” Baekhyun said, “And you despise mine as much as I do yours.”

“Why did you even want to talk to me, Baekhyun?” Jongdae snickered, “Last time I checked, I was way out of your social circle.”

Jongdae’s gaze on Baekhyun was a little less than neutral, bordering on hostile. The elder had no idea what he could possibly have done to induce so much hate, but being popular came with its downfalls. As much as people liked you for no reason, there would be those that would despise you for no reason at all.

“I guess I thought you could appreciate some good sportsmanship.” Ignoring the sarcasm in his voice, Baekhyun continued, “I wanted things to be clear and fair between the three of us.”

“Oh, so you’ve talked to Minseok as well?” Jongdae’s tone, attempting to disguise his interest, didn’t pass unnoticed by Baekhyun.

“Yeah. It went pretty okay. He’s a very pacific person, and easy to get along with.”

“We’ve talked a couple of times, he’s pretty chill. I don’t think he stands a chance against me, though.”

“Um… Jongdae?” Baekhyun looked around, taking in their surroundings. He’d been to their school’s rooftop before, but he wasn’t exactly a regular there. The place had a bad reputation of being the designated hangout spot for delinquents and troublemakers. It wasn’t even true, since many groups of girls liked to have lunch there, and he could even see some kids studying while eating onigiri, but it didn’t matter – once you gained a reputation, you were done for. “Are you really running because of a bet?”

“It’s more because of the principle of the thing, but to say it in a very summed up way, yeah.” Jongdae shrugged, “Don’t worry, though. I have the intention of winning, but I also plan to resign right after. Second place should be the actual president for the year.”

“I don’t understand why you would go through so much trouble if you don’t even want to do this.” Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair, dark locks falling back in place right after, “If you are going to resign, assuming that you win.”

“I don’t expect you to. In fact, I don’t expect anyone to take me seriously – I just want them to vote for me.” Jongdae snapped his magazine shut and put out his cigarette, getting up, “Baekhyun, you know everyone at this school,  but to know that people exist and to know who they really are? Those are two very different concepts. And the first thing you should learn about me is that I don’t give explanations of my life to anyone, ever.”

Baekhyun was left in the rooftop, his head filled with thoughts running at a hundred miles per hour.

 

Minseok and Luhan were in the library, studying for an upcoming math test. Apparently school doesn’t stop when you decide to run for student president, which pretty much sucked for Minseok. Dealing with regular schoolwork, as well as running a campaign, was exhausting.

After the nth trigonometry exercise, lights started to blink when Minseok closed his eyes, and he decided it was time to rest. Luhan didn’t seem much better, as he tried to solve the exercise with a formula Minseok was pretty sure didn’t exist.

“Hey, Luhan.” He patted on his friend’s shoulder, trying to get his attention, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“Yeah?” Luhan’s expression as he looked at Minseok was a mix of confused and hopeful. “What is it?”

“I wanted to thank you.” Minseok’s smile was warm and affectionate, “For giving me the idea of running for president, and for helping me actually do it. You’re a great friend. It’s amazing how you manage to understand me in ways that I myself don’t. You know exactly what I need to do, and it surprises me every time.”

“Oh.” Was that- disappointment that flashed in Luhan’s eyes? It was gone too fast for Minseok to grab a hold onto it, making way for the warm smile he was so used to seeing. “You didn’t need to worry about that, Minseok. We’re best friends, after all.”

“Yeah, but it’s like- I didn’t want to take it for granted, you know. I don’t want to change because of this, at least not in a negative way.”

Minseok felt like he could turn into a bit of an asshole at any moment, and that was the last thing he wanted to. He knew power did strange things to people, and Minseok wished to avoid becoming someone he disliked as much as he possibly could. It’s not like he was suddenly the most famous person in the school, but still – people were starting to notice him.

“Why, do you feel different?” Luhan’s concerned voice asked, “Are people treating you any different?”

“Well, you see the posters on the hallways. There are people wearing buttons with my face on it, for God’s sake.” It wasn’t on the same magnitude of Baekhyun, who had his face on the backpacks of half the student body, but it still felt like something out of this world. “I’ve never felt anything like this. It’s crazy. And the people, I think they know who I am now? Which is not bad, but also takes some using to. I only ever learned how to be a wallflower.”

“You know, Minseok,” Luhan replied fondly, “I’ve never doubted that you could do it. Not for one second. It’s something that has always been inside of you, but you have never really looked close enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have this thing. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like you draw people in. You’re usually too shy for anyone to notice, though. I knew that, the moment you became more confident, everyone would be able to see it as well.”

“You’re gonna make me puke.” Minseok hid his face, turning it away from Luhan. As he started to stuff his school supplies in his backpack, he wished that the fluorescent light was too dull for Luhan to see the blush tinting his ears. “Let’s go home. I’ll treat you to that nice lady’s bibimbap on the way.”

_ Two weeks before the election _

Minseok had made the mistake of trading phone numbers with Baekhyun. Now, he was flooded with waves of memes and bad jokes on KakaoTalk at least three times per hour, plus he was in at least 6 new groupchats with many people he had never heard of in his life. Minseok wasn’t really able to keep up with it, but no one seemed to really mind, and Baekhyun assured him that it was fine not to participate a lot, but encouraged him to stay in the conversations. After all, an aspiring student council president should be open and communicative.

Minseok appreciated the help, but he wasn’t sure just how many more videos of jokes he didn’t understand – or care for – he could take.

Now, he headed for the headquarters of the manga and anime club, where Kyungsoo had asked him to deliver the lunch he’d made to Chanyeol – the boy with pretty owl eyes was currently overwhelmed trying to balance school, helping Minseok out with his campaign, working at his father’s market and volunteering at a local dog shelter. Kyungsoo was the nicest person Minseok knew, and if there was any way in which he could help ease the stress just a little, he was glad to lend a hand.

They were a cute couple, and Minseok didn’t mind the addition to their friend group. Not only was Chanyeol a fun person to be around, he and Kyungsoo were disgustingly in love with each other. That made Minseok happy, since it was nothing less than his friend deserved. However, it didn’t help that seeing them together made him remember how miserably alone he was – but that was his own fault for being so damn picky. Minseok had rejected three confessions the past year alone, with the excuse that none of them felt right. He didn’t want to like the person he was with; he wanted to be head over heels, heart bursting in its cage, completely intoxicated with them.

Pushing those thoughts aside as he turned on the left wing of the third floor of their school building, Minseok discovered an unusually quiet hallway, which led to a cramped little classroom at its very end. Inside there were two boys: one sound asleep, hoodie up and arms sprawled on top of the chair, and another drawing manga effects on a campaign poster.

“Um, hi.” The drawing boy looked up, and Minseok recognized him to be Jongdae, his competitor – the one asleep on the desk, though, didn’t move a single muscle. “I have a delivery for Chanyeol, but I’m guessing he’s not here. That guy sleeping doesn’t look like a complete giant with elf ears.”

“Hey, Minseok. Yeah, that’s Yixing.” He looked at the package, intrigued, “What do you have over there? Chanyeol went for a quick strawberry milk run, but he should come back any minute now. You can leave it on top of the snack table.”

“It’s his lunch, Kyungsoo asked me to bring it over.”

Minseok placed the bundle on the table, wondering whether he should sit or leave right away. He figured a little small talk couldn’t hurt, grabbing an unattended chair and resting on it.

“Ah, home cooked lunch. It sure must be nice to have a boyfriend.” Jongdae whined, “I still have no idea how that huge noodle of a person got any action before me. People must really be blind.”

“Your time will come, I’m sure.” Minseok chuckled, “So... how’s the campaign going?”

“Oh, you know.” Jongdae said, “A few lame posters with manga drawings on them, some pens with my name on them, and a shitload of buttons. It’s the buttons that let people know you mean business.”

“Preach it, man.” Minseok agreed – he had been spending the past weeks awake until late at night, organizing and perfecting the posters and the buttons. “I am thinking of declaring monopoly bankruptcy just from the button budget. I seriously didn’t think running for student council president was this expensive.”

His friends helped, of course, but they also had school to worry about, not to mention being able to sleep. Luhan had already wounded his finger trying to make buttons in a sleepwalking state, claiming it was fine, since it was for a good cause. From that day, Minseok worked extra hard, in order not to impose the burden of the election on anyone other than himself. It would be fine if he became a strip of a person until the end of the election, but he would never be able to forgive himself if the same happened to his friends.

“You’re pretty chill, dude. There are some things people just don’t understand, unless you’ve lived them.” Jongdae was glad Minseok was running with him. It was nice to be completely honest with someone, for once. Running for school president could fry every last cell in your brain to oblivion, if you didn’t take care. “You have my vote. Also, you’re much better than the school prince.”

Minseok felt a bit of hostility on the statement. He was unsure if it was his position to intervene or try to make amends, but maybe because he once also had a rather unfair opinion of Baekhyun, he decided to try to help him out, just this time. After all, he wanted a fair vote.

“Hey, Baekhyun is not that bad, you know.” Minseok looked at the sleeping guy – Yixing – who was starting to snore, “He’s actually a pretty decent dude. I get why people lick the floor he steps on. I don’t encourage the action nor do I have any desire to partake on it, but I understand.”

Jongdae stared at him, as if deciding whether he should speak his mind or just keep quiet. In the end, he seemed to settle for an in-between.

“Yeah, I know. And I don’t hate him, at least- not really. I just… really dislike everything he stands for. There’s a reason why I’m called a delinquent and he’s called an honor student. I despise the whole system of appealing to authorities in order to rise in life. I don’t think I should have to prove myself to anyone that has already made a judgment of my entire life after looking at me for a whole 5 seconds.”

“I know what you mean.” Minseok also used to feel like that – an intense disapproval towards Baekhyun, not because of who he was as a person, but what he represented. He didn’t understand why the midget of a freshman with such a loud voice had made every single person of the school fall in love with him, on some level, in the span of a few months. But now, he kind of understood. “But he’s really not like that. He’s not judgmental or manipulative – at least what I’ve seen from the past two weeks doesn’t seem to be. Baekhyun has a kind of aura that attracts people, you know? You feel comfortable right away. I think it is inevitable that he’s the most popular person, no matter where he goes.”

“Look, Minseok, I might give him a chance.” Jongdae said, sulking, “I won’t like it. But I’ll do it. Because I trust your judgment.”

Minseok felt oddly flattered that his opinion held such value to the other boy, especially since he seemed to act in a way that was above everyone. Just a little bit of a douche, but not enough for people to really hate him.

At that moment, the sound of heavy footsteps approaching quickly filled the hallway. Chanyeol sure knew how to make an entrance.

“GUYS YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT THERE WAS BANANA MILK ON THE MACHI- oh, hi, hyung! What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Chanyeol.” Minseok chuckled at the tall boy, who was really anything but subtle, “I’m but a mere delivery boy today. Your lunch,” he pointed at the bundle on top of the snack table, “delivered.”

“Oh, thank you so much!!” His mouth made a surprised ‘O’ as Chanyeol bowed politely, “I really need to text Kyungsoo and thank him as well. I told him he didn’t have to, because he’s so damn busy, and I can eat bread from the cafeteria anyway. But of course he didn’t listen, he never does.”

“And you looooooooove it.” Jongdae grimaced, teasing his friend in an overly-sweet voice.

“Well- yeah, I do. But that’s not the point!”

“It seems my job here is done, so I’ll go.” Minseok glanced in disbelief at Yixing, who didn’t seem to have woken up despite the ruckus, “See you guys around!”

“Bye, hyung!” Chanyeol waved enthusiastically, “Thanks again, and hey – you can come anytime! Bring Luhan and Junmyeon as well, they’ll like it here.”

“Yeah.” Jongdae smiled, crescent moons in his eyes and a feline grin in his mouth, “We’ll be waiting for you to come back, Minseok.”

__

_ 1 week before the election _

It was lunchtime, and Baekhyun joined his usual crew in their spot on the cafeteria. Because it was at ground level, half of the tables were inside the building, and the other half was outside, sheltered by parasols. Baekhyun, Sehun, Jongin and Zitao usually gathered at an outdoor table, right in the middle of the yard, where the shadow of a tree and the breeze made it fresh and nice in the summer.

Baekhyun ate some rice, listening to Zitao complain about his biology homework. According to him, the teacher seemed bent on giving them assignments until they were able to recite the 206 bones of the human body by request. In front of them, Baekhyun watched as Sehun nagged Jongin over the mess of chicken crumbs he made on the table, which seemed to be a kind of daily ritual for them. Every day Jongin made a mess, and every day Sehun complained about it. The tiny smiles on their faces gave in how much both of them enjoyed it, though.

Everything was just like normal until the ground started to shake.

“Hey,” Sehun said, a small blotch of hummus on the side of his mouth, “Is it just me or is everything kind of trembling?”

Nobody in the cafeteria seemed to understand what was going on, until they heard a faint shouting in the distance.

They watched in awe as a wave of at least 50 students, all dressed in white and wearing headbands that screamed KIM JONGDAE in a lettering that resembled the title of a bad action movie, enthusiastically flooded the cafeteria.

“What the-” Baekhyun started to say, only to be completely overpowered by a massive battle cry.

“WHAT DO WE WANT??” Jongdae screeched, his voice reaching decibels never before imagined to human ears.

“KIM JONGDAE FOR PRESIDENT!” All the other students wearing uniforms answered enthusiastically, on a similar deafening volume.

“WHEN DO WE WANT IT??”

“RIGHT NOW!!”

“I SAY KIM, YOU SAY JONGDAE! KIM!”

“JONGDAE!!’

“KIM!”

“JONGDAE!!!”

“KIM!!”

“WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?” At that moment, the P.E. teacher arrived at the cafeteria, looking very much vexed. “What is this god awful noise, and why the hell are you all dressed in white? Where are your uniforms?”

“EVERYONE, DISPERSE!”

After Jongdae’s command, the mass of students dressed in white swarmed the hallways, disappearing as if they weren’t even there 20 seconds before. The cafeteria was left with a group of dumbfounded students and a P.E. teacher who seemed unsure of what to do. In the end, he left in defeat, a tired expression on his face.

“Well, that was something.” Zitao was the first to speak up. After the impromptu presidential rally, everyone was dead silent, half expecting them to come back. When it became clear that it wasn’t happening, the crowd erupted in a cacophony of noise.

“Baek, you might have to up your game if you want to win this election.” Jongin continued, looking around and speaking a little louder so his friends would hear him, “I never thought I would say this, but that guy could be some serious competition.”

“What the fuck…” Sehun seemed to still be shocked, “How do they think they can get away without, at least, a suspension…”

“One thing I know for sure.” Baekhyun claimed, with a determined look in his face, “I’m getting to the bottom of this.”

“I didn’t know you liked Jongdae that much, Baek.” Zitao smirked, and the group erupted in laughter. The hurt yelp he released seconds later left a blushing Baekhyun felling much more satisfied.

 

After the last bell ringed, Baekhyun waited for Jongdae on the stairs leading to the Manga and Anime club. When the boy appeared, he grabbed Jongdae’s arm, dragging him to the rooftop.

“Wow,” Jongdae smirked, “I didn’t know you liked it rough.”

“How the hell did you do that??”

“Don’t you remember our last conversation, Baek?” Jongdae’s tone had sarcasm dripping from his tongue, “It seems you might have a bad case of selective memory loss. I told you I don’t give explanations of my life to anyone.”

Baekhyun left an exasperated sigh. Did he really have to make everything so difficult, every damn time? It seemed Jongdae got a kick out of making others frustrated, and Baekhyun didn’t appreciate it one bit.

“I remember it perfectly. But that has to do with the election, so it has to do with me as well. I told you I wanted a fair fight.”

“Yeah, I remember. Very honorable of you.” Jongdae remember his talk with Minseok, where he promised to try. It wasn’t his fault that Baekhyun was such an easy subject to tease, but he decided to raise a white flag – at least, for now. “I bribed the captains of the football, baseball, volleyball and drama club with a lot of candy and exchanging cleaning duties. It’s amazing how easily people will do what you tell them to, as long as you know what to give in return.”

“And how did you know you weren’t going to be punished?”

Baekhyun was still in disbelief. The one thing he had learned from Jongdae – besides that he didn’t explain things, a rule he seemed to be breaking at that very moment – was that you could never believe the first thing that came out of his mouth. He worked in layers, and some were more truthful than others.

“There is strength in numbers.” Jongdae ran his hands through his hair, trying not to look too smug, “It was a bit of a gamble, I’ll admit, but I was mostly sure that they wouldn’t suspend 50 students at once. And even if I was the perpetrator, if no one rats me out I’m just one more of the crowd.”

“They were yelling your name, Jongdae.”

“Yeah, and I’ll probably get called on the principal’s office today. But they can’t prove anything, and I am kind of running for president of the student council, as you might have heard, so I think it’ll be fine.” The air quotes Jongdae made framed a wicked smile, “Apparently it ‘shows maturity’.”

“You know, that’s kind of admirable.” Baekhyun admitted, “I’m impressed.”

It was true. In his own twisted way, Jongdae was also doing his best to get the students to vote for him. The fact that the other two contestants were trying so hard only made Baekhyun’s own desire to win burn stronger.

“Well, I wanted to make an impact.” Jongdae seemed unsure of how to react to the compliment. He obviously was expecting an opposite reaction – disapproval, at least. “I thought that this, for sure, would make people remember me.”

“It certainly will.” Baekhyun had on the tiniest of smiles in his face, “So, truce?”

Jongdae looked at the other boy, measuring him. The school prince, the most popular student of all, the best grades of his class. Baekhyun had so many labels attached to him, and yet none of them made him justice. They would never compare to the real thing. Jongdae was starting to understand just how truly extraordinary his opponent was.

“Yeah. Truce.”

They shook hands to seal the deal.

 

_ 3 days before the election _

“Je mange, tu manges, il mange…”

As they were told to gather on the back of the stage, Jongdae was unsure of who was more of a nervous wreck. Minseok had gone so white that he resembled a very cute marshmallow, and Baekhyun had been blabbering nonstop since classes had ended. Currently it was lunch break, and they were about to say their speeches in front of the whole school – students, teachers, staff, everyone. Jongdae had never minded much speaking in public, but clearly his opponents didn’t feel the same.

“I think I might need to go to the bathroom.” Minseok covered his mouth with his hands, “Again.”

The three of them were waiting together on the stuffy back of the theater. Because it was summer, and their school didn’t bother to fix the air conditioning on the auditorium – one more change the president would need to make -, ventilators were all they had, and they were obviously far from ideal. Jongdae could hear the loud murmuring coming from the other side of the curtain, where his friends were probably sitting on the very last row.

“J’ai mangé,” Baekhyun continued to mumble, “tu as mangé, il a mangé...”

“Hey, you’ll be fine.” Jongdae patted Minseok’s back, trying to sound as encouraging as possible, “Just stare at the exit sign the whole time and pretend you’re talking to yourself in your room. It’s good to have a fixed point to concentrate on, so you can forget about everything else.”

At that moment, their philosophy teacher arrived, holding a clipboard and a microphone.

“Hello, kids. The speeches are going to be done in order of age. So Minseok, you’re up in 5 minutes, okay?”

“Sure.” Minseok looked less nauseated, but still with significantly less color in his face, as he took the microphone and the teacher left them. “Thank you, Mr. Cho.”

“Well, then you’re next, Baekhyun, and I’m last.” Jongdae said, “God, they sure are loud out there.”

“Are they?” Baekhyun’s smile was forced and twitchy, “All I can hear is my own heartbeat.”

“Baekhyun, I thought you were supposed to be an extrovert?” Minseok placed his hand on top of Baekhyun’s heart, making the boy flush profusely. “Woah, it’s like a song playing in 2x speed! You’re as nervous as I am!”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Baekhyun made a face of deep discomfort, “I’m fine talking to people one on one, and even in front of the class, but I’m kind of shit on situations this huge. Also, thinking about every single person I’ll disappoint if I mess up doesn’t help at all.”

“You will do great.” Jongdae smiled at Baekhyun, trying to put him at ease, “I’ve seen you speak in front of the school before, and you didn’t even look nervous. We can only tell because we’re close and you won’t shut up in french.”

“Yeah, I can’t stop talking when I’m nervous.” He seemed, if not calmer, at least a little more confident. “I’m sorry. I kinda wish I was first. It’s good to just get it over with.”

“Don’t worry.” Minseok gave him the warmest of smiles, and Baekhyun’s heart might just start beating like crazy again. “Just do your best so we can meet proudly on the other side of the curtain.”

Before they knew it, Minseok was already on the stage, his determined voice filling the entire auditorium.

“Hi, everyone. Some of you might know me as Minseok, your friend. Others might know me as Kim Minseok, the guy who’s running for president out of nowhere. And there might even be people who have no idea who I am, and that’s entirely my fault. I have been lacking in terms of socializing and creating bonds with the majority of the student body, and I’m aware of it. However, I wish to make a change. Not only to my life, but also to this school. There is too much that needs to be improved; we need to work on accessibility on school grounds, a more diverse lunch menu for people who can’t or don’t want to eat meat and rice every day, and, well, fix the air conditioning, for God’s sake.”

Minseok managed to let out a chuckle, and many people in the audience laughed as well. “What I’m saying is that I am aware of our shortcomings as a totality, and I wish to do something about it. If you wish to see change take place in this school, I encourage that you vote for me – and if you do, I will work my hardest to make sure your vote is not wasted. Thank you very much for your attention.”

Polite clapping erupted from the audience, as Minseok returned backstage. He only had time for a quick hug before Baekhyun walked in the bright limelight.

“Dude, you were amazing!” Jongdae hugged Minseok in excitement, “You sounded like you totally meant it!”

“Thanks.” He murmured shyly, still shaking a little, “Baek is about to start his speech.”

“Good afternoon. How are you doing today? I’m a little nervous, to be honest.” Baekhyun’s voice echoed in the auditorium, sounding much surer of himself than the trembling boy they had seen backstage, “I am Byun Baekhyun, junior year of high school, and I’m running for president of the student council. I truly believe that, trough communication and empathy, we’ll be able to go through one of the best years this school has ever had. I want to improve our institution in all areas I find possible, all while listening to what the students really think. We need to be understanding and respectful to each other if we want to get anywhere worth reaching; this is the motto of my campaign.”

Baekhyun smiled, in his best Gatsby impersonation. He’d been told before his smile was reassuring and disarming, and he intended to put it to good use today.

“So I want to thank you for your attention, and I hope that you will consider thoroughly your choices.”

As he returned backstage, his back to a crowd booming with loud applause, Baekhyun hugged his opponents. Better – he hugged his friends. They’d long since stopped thinking about each other as rivals.

“Good luck, Jongdae.” Baekhyun managed to squeal, crushed between Minseok and Jongdae, “They’re not prepared for you out there.”

“You can be damn sure of that.” Jongdae grabbed the mic from Baekhyun, flashing a warm smile before marching to the spotlight. People could say what they would, but that boy was nothing if not confident.

“Uhm, is this thing on? Oh, good. Hey, everyone. I’m Kim Jongdae. You might know me as the honorable founder of the Manga and Anime Club, or for filling our school pool with grape Fanta.” At this, Chanyeol whooped excitedly from the audience, and the murmur in the crowd grew louder. No one seemed to really understand why Jongdae was running for president, and rumors were running wild. Some people said he had been promised a scholarship, others wondered if he was being threatened with expulsion. There were even a few that thought he was running because of a bet – rightly so, not that they would ever find out. “Either way, that’s not why I’m here today. If you know me, you should know that I’m all about actions – none of that bullshit of fake promises. What do I mean? Well, if you want instant coffee machines and a cafeteria menu that isn’t shit, you better give your vote to no one other than Kim Jongdae right here. Also, I will create a new and improved school festival, because the one we have is honestly boring, repetitive and old-fashioned. If I have to serve bad coffee for people for one more year I’ll probably puke. Peace out, everyone.”

A mix of incredulous laughs and confused clapping filled the auditorium as Jongdae marched back to his place backstage. Minseok seemed to be laughing so much that he had tears in his eyes.

“Jongdae, you are really something.” Baekhyun wondered if, one day, the other boy would stop surprising him. He doubted it. “You just roasted the most prestigious school festival in the province. And honestly? You were right.”

“It was fucking amazing, that’s what it was.” Minseok had finished wiping the tears with his sleeve, a big-toothed grin almost tearing his face in half, “I can’t believe you did that.”

“Well, it was nothing but the truth.” Jongdae smiled, throwing his arms around the two boys, “Now, may the better man win.”

“Preach it, my friend of limited stature.”

“STOP PRETENDING WE ARE NOT LITERALLY THE SAME HEIGHT, BAEKHYUN.”

They laughed together, the feeling of owning the world -that only the young truly have- all-encompassing and intoxicating in the backstage of that stuffy, broken down auditorium.

 

_ 1 week after the election _

Minseok sat in the little wall that framed the entrance to their school, legs dangling and munching on a granola bar, as he waited for Luhan to arrive so they’d head to class together. His best friend was far from being punctual, but that wasn’t really much of a problem for Minseok – he really enjoyed the peace and quiet of school mornings, before classes started and he could just let his thoughts wander everywhere and anywhere without worrying about getting scolded.

The sky was bright white, completely filled with clouds. It was Minseok’s favorite, and it made him feel at home, for once. He wasn’t even sure what that was, but he was positive it felt a lot like this. What he didn’t expect was for a small figure to sit by his side, legs dangling together over the grass wet with morning dew.

“Hey.” Baekhyun had a chocolate in his hands, which he fiddled with nervously, “I was going to give you that, but I see you’re already eating. I’m kinda late.”

“Dude, do I look like the type of person that refuses free chocolate?” Minseok accepted the bar, saving it in his backpack for later. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”                                                                          

Baekhyun clearly wanted to say something, but he seemed to be hesitant; which was very unlike him, to say the least. The electricity that usually permeated the boy seemed to have gone quiet, still. Minseok decided to provide a bit of encouragement.

“May I ask what this is for? Not that I don’t like to get free candy, don’t get me wrong. Just wondering.”

Baekhyun looked at him, still hesitating, his hands deep on the pockets of his yellow coat. He had bought this coat a couple years back; it was loud, bright and exhaled positivity. It was something Baekhyun wasn’t sure that he was, but certainly aimed to be. A symbol of the person he wished to become.

Finally, he spoke up – quietly enough that if it wasn’t morning, with the majority of the student body still to arrive, Minseok wouldn’t have heard.

“I haven’t really seen you around these days.”

Minseok was taken aback; it’s true he had gone from classes to his house, spending as little time possible outside. But he didn’t think Baekhyun, of all people, would notice. Or care.

“I didn’t know you had been searching.”

“Well, it’s kind of impossible not to notice radio silence like that.” Baekhyun smiled, but it didn’t really reach his eyes. “You never answered my texts, either.”

“I kind of needed some time.” He folded the plastic from his granola bar carefully, dutifully. Doing things the proper way had always helped Minseok distract himself from the stress of real life. “Away from everything. By the way, congratulations on winning the election. I still hadn’t seen you since they announced the results.”

“I- Thanks, I guess.”

“What is it, Baekhyun?” He couldn’t stand the miserable look in Baekhyun’s face any longer. Wasn’t that what he wanted? For Minseok to be happy for him? What more could he possibly ask for? “Tell me already. I know that’s not what you really want to say.”

 “Okay, Minseok.” Baekhyun pursed his lips, gathering the courage to say the words out loud. He found that it was always harder when he actually meant them. “The thing is- You deserved it. I know it’s shit, but you deserved it much more than I did.”

Minseok sighed. So that’s what this was all about.

“Don’t say that, Baek.” He replied softly, “That’s just not true.”

“It is to me.” Baekhyun’s voice was as raw and honest as his face. “I know you were upset about losing. Don’t act like it is normal for you to disappear like that.”

“Of course I was upset. I knew it was a long shot, but I was disappointed anyway. After all, even if I did my best, it’s impossible not to wonder if things could have happened differently.” Minseok admitted, remembering the moment of utter defeat. He was much better now, but it had been a hard couple of days. He had pushed through with massive quantities of ice cream, a Star Wars marathon (all 8 movies, extended editions) and his friends making all sorts of stupid jokes together. “But, you know- I’ve done a lot of thinking. And I don’t think it’s a bad turn of events. You’re going to be an amazing president, probably better than I would.”

“I appreciate your faith, but I’m not sure I deserve it.”

“Well, you better be damn sure that you do, because you won fair and square and now you have to do your best.” Minseok knew he was being harsh, but he had no tolerance for self-pity. It was way too familiar to be comfortable. “Not only for yourself, but for me and Jongdae as well. Moping around won’t change a single thing.”

Baekhyun was a little startled at the intensity of the older’s speech. He had realized Minseok was fierce, but he had never really been scolded by the other, or anything of the sort. He felt oddly ashamed, as if letting down a teacher who really cared for you.

“Speak of the devil…” Baekhyun said, as a small figure made its way towards them from the bicycle parking rack. Jongdae walked in a way that only people really sure of themselves were able to – he exhaled confidence wherever he went. It was extraordinary, really.

“I see you losers arrived early as well.” Jongdae sat on Minseok’s other side, cheeky feline grin permanent in his face. “Hello, Mr. President. Hey, Minseok.”

“Hi, Jongdae.” They greeted him, but the boy was already whining over something else- he was never one to waste any time.

“You see this all-black ensemble?” Motioning to his outfit – black ripped jeans, simple black baggy T shirt and a black coat on top, as it was getting cold these days -, Jongdae complained, “I am mourning over the loss of my entire Black Butler collection, specials editions and all. Today is the day when I’ll sadly have to sacrifice it to a tall noodle who calls himself Park Chanyeol, but is really only a leech looking for a pretty manga collection for him to put his enormous yaoi hands on. What about you guys? How are you doing?”

“Fine.” Minseok said, “I’m a bit worried that I’ll die suffocated from all the homework I’ve neglected this past month, but I knew that would happen sooner or later.”

It was true. When the final weeks of the election were approaching, things got too overwhelming to be done properly. Minseok had to neglect homework in order to preserve his own sanity. Luckily, his teachers had seemed understanding, and he had always been a fast learner.

“You kinda disappeared from the face of the Earth for a while, man.” Jongdae wrapped his arm around the older boy’s shoulder, “We missed you. I already talked to Baek here, but I also want to invite you to my presidential party.”

“But… you lost?”

“Yeah, and I’m celebrating the hell out of it. If I’m having to part from my beloved manga collection I might at least throw a party for it. We want to watch the entire 38 episodes of Boku no Hero Academia this weekend. Cosplay is optional, but bringing food or booze is mandatory.”

“That sounds kind of awesome.” Minseok laughed. He loved how his friends knew exactly the kind of things that’d make him want to leave his beloved bed and be a social creature, for once. “You can count me in.”

“So, Minseok.” Baekhyun decided to ask, just to be sure, “Are we cool?”

“Yeah.” He punched Baekhyun playfully in the shoulder, trying to look intimidating but resembling more an angry hamster, “We’re good.”

“You know,” Baekhyun said, “this is kind of unexpected, but getting to know you guys was the best thing to come out of this election for me.”

Baekhyun loved his friends to death, but sometimes he felt like they created a kind of barrier that other people were unable to push through. It wasn’t on purpose, but that’s how things were. He felt incredibly lucky that Minseok and Jongdae were able to smash this barrier without any inhibition, expanding his small universe for good.

“Aw, you’re being all honest and melodramatic.” Jongdae made a disgusted face, acting like he was barfing, “I think I’m going to puke.”

“I feel the same, you know.” Minseok joined Baekhyun, pouring his heart out. “It was a real growing experience, and I learned a ton. But meeting you both just felt so right.”

“Okay, if you’re both going to be lame, then I can be too. You guys are amazing and I hope we can hang out a lot in the future. Maybe Luffy really is right about the power of friendship and all that bullshit.”

Minseok looked at the sky, wondering about the future. Senior year is tough, and all days are filled with uncertainty. Things may have finally started to come together, after all. At the very least, he was sure he wouldn’t have to face it alone.

He took out his phone, telling Luhan to meet him in the classroom.

“Let’s go.” Minseok jumped to the ground, talking over his shoulder as he headed inside, “I’ll buy anything from the drink machine for you guys. My treat.”

Then, as all true men do, they went to drink strawberry milk.

 

**Author's Note:**

> There you go!!! I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a comment if you did! ♡╰(▔∀▔)╯  
> About the use of the term 'otaku': it refers to a person who is passionate about japanese culture, with no pejorative meaning whatsoever. I am a huge otaku myself, so that's one of the reasons it's such a big part of the fic! If you look closely, you can find a lot of my favorite mangas referenced in there~  
> Is Chanyeol freaking out because he loves banana milk or because he hates it????? The true mystery of this fanfic. We shall never know.  
> What do I want you to ship? Well, that’s an easy question. PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING. I wanted to make their personalities as close to the real thing as possible so now everyone just flirts very mindlessly and obviously with Minseok. IT WASN’T EVEN MY INTENTION BUT I WAS WRITING AND IT WAS INEVITABLE I SWEAR  
> Funfact: Sehun is vegetarian. Not that it has ANY kind of relevance to the story, but I’m just putting it out there. Because I’m vegetarian too, and it matters to me.


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